


probably

by swirlees



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Bad ending Au, M/M, Persona 5: The Royal, Psychological Horror, Suicidal Thoughts, Unhealthy Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-15
Updated: 2020-08-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:34:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25907413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/swirlees/pseuds/swirlees
Summary: This wasn't what he expected when he made a deal with Maruki. But he can handle it.It'll be fine. Things will be fine.
Relationships: Akechi - Relationship, Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira
Comments: 4
Kudos: 85





	probably

"What do you intend to do?"

Akira chose his next words carefully. "We're taking his offer."

"Are you serious?"

"I am serious."

"…Well I have your answer." Akechi turned away and walked towards the door. "I have nothing more to say."

He felt, as the detective walked away, his Justice arcana reverse. He wonders if he's made a terrible mistake.

\--

Akechi hadn't said it, but Akira heard it, heavy with disappointment and disgust: " _You hypocrite"._

Akira hadn't said it, but Akechi heard it, twisted and wretched: _"I love you."_

It was February 3rd. It felt weird, lying in bed, no plans in his mind to infiltrate the palace. He looked at his phone. No new messages. Somehow, this felt better, but in an uneasy way. He might agree to stealing Maruki's treasure if one of his teammates pushed it. They had just texted last night, confirming the infiltration, so someone would probably follow up on it. They could, technically. He had given Maruki the calling card, after all. It wasn't until he talked with Akechi that he decided against it.

Maybe things were better this way. Things _are_ better this way. It would be fine.

Akira swiped through his phone contacts, almost on auto-pilot. _Goro Akechi_. He clicked on it. He hung up before the call went through. What would he even say to him? "How are you doing on this morning? This last morning ~~that we can fix things~~ before we can have a fresh start together?" It was better that he call tomorrow. After things were settled.

He got up and freshened up, readying for the day.

Morgana didn't grumble from beneath the covers and curl back into a snooze. He was nowhere to be seen. That was fine, maybe he went out and explored as a cat-shaped creature for the last time. Akira wandered out and debated whether going to Kichijoji would be a terrible idea or not. Akechi might be hanging around, but so could Sumire. And if anyone could understand his unwillingness to let Akechi die pointlessly, it'd be Sumire. He hoped nobody would be there, though, to see his cowardly face.

He decided to risk it because staying at Leblanc was an even worse idea.

By the time it was noon, he felt satisfied that he'd managed to escape. He'd found a little café to sit and read at, and the hours ticked by. No texts from his phone, asking urgently whether they were infiltrating the palace or not. No aggressive texts from Akechi asking him to explain himself. By late afternoon, there was something gnawing at the back of his mind. He checked his phone. _Last online: 10 hrs ago. 8 hrs ago. 1 day ago._ No one had been on all day. Could they have left him? They couldn't _all_ have been busy all day.

He stood up, heart racing out of his chest. He didn't know what he would do when he got there, but he had to go.

* * *

Odaiba was too far away. It had taken too long on the subway, and when he got there, the sun was already setting. As he entered the palace, he realized something was very, very wrong.

For one, the palace was gone. It lay in ruins, as a horribly large persona gazed from above the clouds. He had a sick feeling that it was Yaldabaoth again, but realized, no, this was Maruki's.

Adam Kadmon, glinting too brilliantly in the dusky haze.

For two, his Phantom Thieves lay scattered on a rooftop. Ryuji was struggling stay upright as he tried to move Ann to safety. Morgana mewled soft whimpers. Yusuke was sprawled, chest moving but weakly and shallowly. Makoto was more draped over Agnes, than riding her. Haru's axe swayed as she could barely lift it up. Sumire lost her grace and stumbled like a newborn deer. Even Futaba was hanging further back than usual.

For three, Akechi was laying horribly still, propped up against a broken pillar. His black mask was cracked and laid beside him. His face was beautiful, more peaceful than Akira had seen in months.

"STOP!" Akira cried hopelessly. He dropped his bag and ran to Akechi. "Stop! What have you done?"

He felt his pulse. Nothing. He laid his whole hand on Akechi's neck but there was nothing. He felt the coldness through his palm.

Sumire had looked up in hopeful surprise at his outburst, thinking that the cavalry had arrived. That _somehow_ , something had clicked into place in his stubborn head, that _this_ was what they had been fighting for, for the past month. That her senpai had come to their rescue. It slid from her face as she realized how wrong she was.

For four, he hadn't changed into his Thieves coat. Maruki didn't even think he was a threat. And Akira had to admit, he didn't feel very rebellious either as he held Akechi's cold corpse.

And then there was light.

* * *

It was February 4th. The beginning of a new era. The sun snuck in gently to wake him up, the air smelled crisper, and even the birds outside chirped with newfound gusto.

He scrolled through his phone, noting the new contacts. Kasumi (changed back from when it was briefly Sumire), Shiho, Wakaba. And he found the one he was looking for. His hand hovered over it for a few seconds as he decided whether he wanted to know or not. Well, he wanted to _know_ , but only if he was right. 

"…" He heard the line pick up, but there was silence from the other recipient.

"You're still alive."

"Apparently." Akechi's terse word gave Akira a fluttery feeling in his gut. It wasn't like the butterflies he'd had when he saw Akechi alive again. It was more insidious, like something in there wanted to come crawling out.

"That's….good. You were dead," Akira finished lamely. What could he say? _"I'm sorry you're alive?"_ He wasn't sorry about that. He was elated. He thought he'd sacrificed the world to be with Akechi, only for Akechi to go on and ruin everything.

"It's not for lack of trying, believe me." Akechi tutted. "But I suppose your little friends have forgotten all about our adventure yesterday."

"I know." He paused and filled the silence with a clarification, "About going to Maruki yesterday. I don't know whether they've forgotten or not."

"…" Akechi was silent for a moment. "Did you actually have a change of heart, or did you finally realize that your friends had been ignoring you all day while we were in the palace? Given your friends' penchants for self-sacrifice, I assume no one made it out to tell you otherwise."

Akira didn't have anything to say to that, which Akechi knew that, because he plowed right on with, "Well, it doesn't matter. What's done is done, and we've passed the deadline with nothing to show for it." He paused briefly, "I suppose the only thing now I can do is live with it."

Something about the way Akechi said it didn't fit right. It wasn't like Akechi to give in to an impossible situation, and for a brief moment, Akira wondered if he'd made a terrible mistake.

"And again, not for lack of trying."

Somehow, that was worse. Akira's blood ran cold as he kicked off his bed sheets. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I've got a bottle of sleeping pills here, a dagger, and a gun," Akechi responded blithely, as if he were listing off groceries. "And I physically cannot bring myself to use them."

Akira felt sick, "You're going to kill yourself? I'm going over right now. Don't, um, hurt yourself."

He didn't even bother to brush his teeth before he pulled on a coat and left Leblanc. He'd only been to Akechi's apartment once, after the game of billiards that he had won. Well, he left Akechi at the door of his apartment before making his way back to the subway. He had lingered for a moment, committing the building to memory. It felt like a lifetime ago.

Akira opened the unlocked door and pushed in. It's bigger than Akira remembers from his one brief memory.

Akechi was sitting at his little dining table staring blankly. His choices of weapons still sat menacingly on the table. "I couldn't leave."

"What?" Pills were scattered around the table and Akira wondered if Akechi had desperately poured them into his mouth but found himself unable to swallow. The gun's safety was off. The dagger was firmly in Akechi's white-knuckled grip, but the blade was pointing away.

"You said you were coming over and so I wanted to leave before you got here." Akechi said hollowly, as if saying the words had made him more aware of the situation. "I couldn't. I can't."

Akira looked at Akechi's horrified brown eyes and swallowed thickly and the words sounded unsure even as he said them. "What are you talking about? Yes you can."

Akechi's eyes flashed something more primal than human. He hissed, "I can't! I walked around the apartment, tidied up, and sat back down here, waiting for you. What did Maruki do to me?"

"I don't know! I didn't think Maruki would change anything about, you know, _you_ ," Akira said, not liking this situation one bit. He reached out to grab the blade from Akechi's hand. "Look, we'll just go talk to him and tell him to fix things."

"What does he have to fix?" Akechi threw his hands up, and Akira started as the dagger in his hands flew out and landed eerily innocently on the table. "He's made it very clear clear, hasn't he? _I_ don't have a place in his new world order. I'm broken and bad. I would've been fine if I had just died on Shido's palace, except _you_ wanted me back." He jabbed at Akira's chest. "Hell, I would've even accepted life in prison if it meant Shido would be there too. But _you_ wanted me, and Maruki likes you, so what the hell does it matter what I want? I can't even be trusted to exist with my own free will in this perfect reality."

Akechi took a few gulping breaths and sneered, "So congratulations. You win. Again. You went against my one wish, to die in peace, for your own selfish needs. He's made it so my sole existence is dedicated to you. Are you happy?" He steadied his erratic gaze onto Akira's gray eyes. At Akira's stunned silence, he prompted again, scathingly, "Are you?"

"No!" Akira groaned, frustrated. "Of course not! I mean, I want you to be you. You seemed normal all last month. Why would he change anything now? You know what, I'm going to go talk to Maruki." He turned towards the door, but paused before leaving, "You…do whatever you want. Come with me if you want to, or just stay here or whatever. But _don't_ kill yourself."

He turned back around to snatch away the gun and scooped up as many pills as he could and angrily shoved them in his pocket. He considered the knife, but he didn't have anywhere he could put it. He didn't think Akechi would or _could_ seriously hurt himself with it now anyway.

What a mess.

* * *

He texted Maruki, asking if they could meet at Leblanc. He wasn't sure what kind of schedule the God of a new world kept, but it seemed to be pretty clear, as Maruki offered to meet for coffee in the afternoon. It was still early, so he wandered around Kichijoji, listening in on conversations. A woman had gotten back together with a now-no-longer-abusive boyfriend. A child was happy that her parents were more attentive. He thought to himself, yes, this is good.

He saw the swish of a familiar red ponytail, and had to stop himself before he greeted her with the wrong name. "Hi Kasumi, you're up quite early."

"Good morning senpai! So are you!" Kasumi's smile brightened. She took the loaded bag of bread from the bakery staff, and beamed at Akira. "I'm getting breakfast for my parents. We're taking a family trip to the aquarium! What about you?"

Akira thought briefly whether he had killed Sumire in favor of Kasumi, but pushed it out of his mind, "I was just checking up on Akechi."

Kasumi's face darkened slightly, "Oh yes. How's he doing?"

Akira wasn't quite sure how to respond, but out of his mouth, came, "Not bad, his arm still hurts a little though."

"Would you tell him that I'm really sorry? I really didn't mean to hit him so hard with the bat! At least I got a home run for our team!" Kasumi said sheepishly. She checked the time. "Sorry to cut this short, but I have to run!"

The encounter left a sour taste in his mouth, and he returned to Leblanc, to wait for a meeting with Maruki.

Maruki was precisely on time. Akira supposed that that's the kind of thing you could do when you could do everything. He looked somewhat out of place in the homey Leblanc, in his white suit and slicked back hair. He ordered a cup of coffee and smiled at Morgana and Futaba who were chatting at a nearby booth, but they didn't seem to recognize him. He waited patiently for Akira to start first.

"What did you do to Akechi?"

"What do you mean?" Maruki asked pleasantly, as he sipped his coffee.

"He called me this morning and said," Akira paused, trying to find his words. He felt like a child in front of Maruki, when he had previously thought them equals, "He said that he tried to kill himself. And couldn't."

Maruki frowned and set his cup back down with a satisfying clink. "Isn't that a good thing? Why would you want him to commit suicide? After all the effort you went through to keep him here." His look softened, "And I know you really struggled with the decision."

"But this isn't Akechi." Akira found his determination returning, as he thought about how unhinged the boy had looked in his apartment this morning, "He's not the same as he was, and he can tell."

Maruki sighed deeply, "If you think it'd improve the situation, I can try to make him much more open, happy even, to adapt to this lifestyle. He was always going to be a troublesome one."

Akira stared, aghast, "What? No!" He imagined a smiling Akechi, acting pleasant and docile _. Tamed_. _Broken_. He felt sick to his stomach. This isn't what he wanted, when he wanted Akechi. And even then, he wanted Akechi to want him back, of his own volition.

"The truth of the matter is that Akechi, and who he is as a person, is too dangerous to be allowed to live in society. He's erratic and dangerous and unpredictable. And to be quite frank, you wildcards are difficult to deal with. I can't be as fluid with what I change about your lives when I grant your wishes." He nodded at Futaba and Morgana, "For example, it's easy to change singular events, like deaths of a loved one. All you do is decide which domino shouldn't have fallen and the rest of them pick right up. It's a lot harder to change something fundamental to a being. You wildcards seem to be naturally resistant to changing. So I did the next best thing with Akechi and put in restrictions to his behavior."

"But what about you and Rumi?" Akira asked. "You let her be her own person and she went off with her own free will. Can't you just make it so Akechi can't intentionally hurt anyone, and keep everything else the same?"

"Well, it was a different situation. I wanted to heal Rumi's psychological wound and it ended up flawed. She didn't remember who I was, and I had to let her go to achieve bigger things, so maybe it turned out for the best. She couldn't even have wished to be with me. But you wish to be with Akechi, and Akechi wishes to be dead. I suppose it'd be more accurate to say that he wishes to live freely, but since that isn't possible given his temperament…" Maruki shrugged. "I could just stop Akechi from hurting people, but even you have to agree that he wouldn't be happy living like that. Isn't it better that he stays with you? With someone who will love him and understand him?"

Akira didn't respond.

"And I know what you're going to say, and I'm not going to kill you so the two of you are together in death. Not unless you wish for it much more sincerely than that," Maruki said, gently. He laid his hand on Akira's shoulder in a facsimile of paternity. "Look, I owe you more than you know. Let me know what you want me to do, and I'll do it. You can also change your mind and you don't have to decide now, either. Just call me when you've decided."

He left but held the door out for someone beyond Akira's sight. He said, brightly, "Nice to see you again, Akechi-kun."

Akechi's face was murderous as he walked to Akira's table and sat in the seat Maruki had just left. "So that's it then. I can't leave this hellhole and I can't leave you."

Akira pleaded halfheartedly, "It'll be fine. It's not like I'm going to _force_ you to do any--"

"No, I just can't leave you, because you don't want me to," Akechi's face looked like every word he was saying was poison coming out. "I'll want to be with you even when I don't want to, not that that seems to matter. After you left earlier, I didn't know what to do with myself. I was counting down until I could see you again."

He looked so pitiful, Akira just looked away.

* * *

Akechi was sitting upstairs in Akira's attic, reading a book, while Akira did the last of the cleaning. Wakaba sat at the counter solving the crossword as Sojiro did accounting at one of the booths.

"What would you do," Akira started as casually as he could, "if you hurt a friend?"

Wakaba looked up over her glasses knowingly. Her eyes were as sharp as you'd expect from a woman who did the crossword in pen. And they looked a lot softer when not on a murderous sphinx. "Is this about that Akechi boy?"

Akira shrugged, "No, I'm asking for a friend. What would you do?"

"Well it depends. How'd you hurt him?"

"My friend hurt _his_ friend by doing something he didn't want to do. My friend thought he was doing something to protect the other friend, but the other friend ended up more hurt because of it."

"It depends on the person. Sometimes you just give them a little space. Sometimes you make up for it by spending more time with them. Or if you can, fix the mistake. And sometimes you can't do anything. But you always have to apologize and show them that you know what you did was wrong. And from there, it's up to them to decide to forgive you or not." She caught Akira's unsatisfied look. "I'm sure it'll be fine. And even if it doesn’t, it's a lesson learned. Make sure to listen to your friends, and really hear what they want to say."

"Right." Akira nodded. "It'll be fine."

Leblanc fully closed up and Wakaba had given him a knowing wink before she and Sojiro giggled all the way down the street like a pair of high schoolers. Akechi got up abruptly when Akira came up the steps.

"Let's talk."

"Okay." Akira took a breath and started to say, "I'm sorry--"

"Why did you decide to not go after Maruki?" Akechi interrupted, as if he didn’t know the answer.

"Why do you think? We've been over this. I couldn't just let you die."

"Your friends had given up their wishes to return to the true reality." Akechi stated. "Are you so weak that you couldn't give me up? After you spent the last month meeting with them individually to make sure they were comfortable with giving up everything for you. You let them all re-experience their trauma, yet you couldn't give up me? And they were the ones standing with me against Maruki. And let's not overlook the fact that you know exactly what I want, but you haven't called Maruki yet."

Akira groaned in frustration. He hadn't wanted to touch on how he asked so much of his friends, but couldn't offer them the same back. How the call to Maruki was still nagging in the back of his mind. "I know that! I can't explain it, but the thought of you being gone…Seeing you disappear in the engine room. It felt like, half of me was just…gone. I can't lose you again."

That was the wrong thing to say. Akechi's eyes flashed and he hissed, "I am _not_ yours _._ I'm not yours and I'm certainly not yours to lose, no matter what that idiot counselor thinks!"

"I know that, and I know that I fucked up," Akira cried helplessly. "But I can't do anything--"

"You didn't just fuck up, you took everything away from me!" Akechi looked like a wild animal, and for a split second, Akira could've sworn he saw a flicker of Loki. "And you think you can just come up here and say, 'Sorry'? What do you mean, you can't do anything?"

"You have your life! You can do anything you want to," Akira said. The point of making the deal was to give Akechi life, he tried justifying to himself. It sounded hollow and false even to him. 

"I don't want this!" Akechi snarled, grabbing Akira's collar. "I was happy the way I was: dead. What, did you think you could resurrect me and play house?"

Akira pushed him away, "No. You spent your whole life trying to take down Shido, and you died before you could. I wanted you to have a chance at living life like a goddamn human being for once!"

"I don't want this," Akechi repeated, low and dangerous. "I did not ask for this and I will _never_ submit to you. You pretend you're high and moral, but you're as selfish as any of your scum targets. You're worse because you don't even realize how awful you are. I hate you and I loathe you. And I can't do anything but bear it, not when I’m tethered to you like a mutt. I'm just a trophy for you to display now. A token to your friendship with Maruki Takuto."

Akira stared at him, not realizing how deep his resentment went. In that moment, he wanted to cry, "No, no! That's not true!" but he wasn't quite sure if it was or not. He wanted to hug Akechi, kiss him all over, make everything right-

Akechi's eyes bored into Akira's soul. And before Akira could react, their lips clashed in a frenzy. Akechi wrapped his arms around Akira's neck and dragged the two of them onto the bed. The kiss was sloppy and wet and everything that Akira could've wished for as he explored Akechi's mouth. When Akechi pulled away to fumble at Akira's shirt's buttons and grind his straddled hips against Akira's, a low moan escaped from Akira's mouth.

"Wait, stop, stop, stop," Akira stumbled over the words even as he pushed his hips up to meet Akechi's.

"What's wrong?" His eyes were hazy with lust. Akechi leaned forward again, brushing his lips against Akira's neck, his hands traveling up his shirt.

"Why are you doing this?" Akira hesitated, even as he wrapped his arms to hold Akechi closer to his chest. "Is this because you want it…"

"Or because _you_ want it?" Akechi finished bitterly. A flash of disgust flitted over his face as he broke away from Akira's hold. "Who knows?"

He climbed off Akira and straightened his sweater. He repeated, "Who the fuck knows?"

He grabbed his coat and was about to go down the stairs but stopped abruptly at top of them. A moment of silent passed before,

"Go home, Akechi," Akira said, not sure if it was the right move or not.

"I don't need your permission," Akechi gritted out. And walked down the steps.

* * *

"Never made it back home, did you," Akira asked. He set a fresh cup of coffee in front of Akechi, who groaned and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He was hoping to get up early and take the first train back home. That clearly didn't happen.

"I got to the door, and then thought, it's too late," Akechi said. "Why should I go all the way home in the cold when it's nice and warm here. It'll be dangerous out - forgetting, of course, that crime doesn't exist anymore."

"You should've just come back upstairs. I would've given you the bed and I could've slept on the couch. No funny business." Akira looked away as he stuck his hands in his apron pockets.

Akechi snorted. "And I probably would've dragged you back onto the bed anyway. Maybe Maruki makes you wake up in time to see me be humiliated." He paused as he sipped his black coffee, "Maybe I should just accept this. This is who I've become. Fallen from a detective prince to a lovesick bitch to someone I despise."

Akira frowned, "Don't say that."

"Why not? Maybe it runs in the family. My father thought I was a failure, so I might as well take after my mother. And apparently I can't off myself anymore, so I might as well spend my life fucking you."

"Don't say that. You're not a failure." Akira said sternly, grabbing Akechi's arm. His lips twisted into a sad, odd smile, "And you can kill yourself, if you really wanted to."

Akechi blinked up as the words processed. He laughed and wiped away a tear, "That's rich. And how would I do that? In case you haven't noticed, I've already tried."

"Apparently, if you make me sincerely want to die, Maruki would be willing to kill me, or so he claimed yesterday. And if I'm dead, so are you," Akira smiled bitterly. "So just make my life miserable, and you're good to go."

"What an incredible deal," Akechi hummed into his coffee. "In this utopia where the literal God is your best friend, you have to be suicidal to give me the one thing I want."

* * *

"I think you're right," Akechi says suddenly, one day.

"I'm right about a lot of things." Akira replied, kissing his cheek. "Which one?"

"I don't think free will is meant for me," Akechi looked out the window of Leblanc. It was a fine day out. They were all fine days, even in the late-summer humidity. The curry tasted good. The curry always tasted good, even when it was reheated leftovers from a week ago.

That stops Akira right in his tracks. He asks, "What are you talking about?"

"This is nice. You, me, the curry, just sitting here and relaxing," Akechi waved his spoon around, indicating all of Leblanc. They never had any financial issues anymore despite it being just the two of them, constantly. "I don't think I would've ended up like this if I had my way. The old me would be kicking and screaming while being dragged to a lifestyle such as this. But I like it. I feel domestic. And safe. I've never felt safe before."

"I don't want you to not have free will." Akira corrected carefully. He stops his mind from traveling from domestic to tamed to submissive to _broken_.

"Well _I_ don't think I have free will, and I am how you want me to be because you're best friends with God," Akechi shrugged, "so."

"That's not true."

"Maybe you're afraid I'll run if you let the leash loosen," Akechi laughs but Akira doesn't think it's funny and he thinks he hears an edge to the joke, but he's not sure if it's imagined or not.

Akechi shrugged again and dipped his spoon into his curry. It was good curry.

Well, it was fine.

* * *

"I didn't do anything," Maruki shook his head. Not a single lock of hair fell out of place. His lair had expanded and was sprawled all over Odaiba. His operation is still growing, but Akira's the only true visitor he gets to the center. Akechi still refuses to join him despite Maruki's invitations, and Akira's fairly sure that tells him something, but he isn't quite aware what. "Not since you asked me to let him leave you."

"What do you mean?" Akira asked. His eyes narrowed. "He said he doesn't want free will. Does that sound like Akechi at all?"

Maruki let Akira sit for a moment, before leaning in with his counselor voice, "Have you considered that maybe any changes in Akechi are natural and maybe even a result of spending time with you? People do change as they grow up." He gave a wry smile, "Maybe you really ended up stealing his heart."

Akira gaped at him. "That can't be true. He's acting like a completely different person! It's been less than six months."

"Before all this, you've only known him while he was actively working against you in times of high stress. Now that he can finally relax and lower his guard around someone he trusts, maybe this is how he is at baseline." At Akira's look, he shrugs and says, "He trusts you more than he's trusted anyone, all thing's considered. Even considering that you took my offer. He hasn't had many people to trust growing up."

* * *

Akira watched as Akechi chatted with Ryuji and teased Yusuke with Futaba. He talked with Wakaba about cognitive psience and discussed art with Madarame. He even broke Okumura's hard shell and they obsess over old sci-fi movies together, to Haru's and Akira's amusement. This seemed right, somehow. All these important, dear friends, gathered together for the holidays.

He didn't fully trust Maruki to not play around in Akechi's head. Not after he's seen how callously he treats changing people's personalities. He wondered how Ann or Haru would feel if they knew the full extent of the situation Akechi is living in, considering they'd been unwilling participants in relationships. Who knows, maybe they'd understand how important and how desperate he is to keep Akechi close. Besides, it's not like they remember any of that anymore.

Akechi seemed calm these days. Unbothered by ghosts of his past. Every now and then, Akira would make sure to ask about it, to make sure memories weren't getting erased, but Akechi seems okay. Akechi hasn't brought up concerns about his free will. Maybe Maruki fished that thought out of his brain. Or maybe Maruki was right, and this was just the natural flow of things, lost to too many exciting new thoughts every day. Akira never dared pry. He didn't have the guts to face the consequences if it turned out that Maruki was pulling strings. What could he even do in that circumstance?

Akechi caught his eye and smiled dazzlingly. It was as beautiful as the day they met, at the TV station, bright and honest. Akira felt his heart skip a beat as he flushed. Akechi leaned over across the bar and pulled him into a deep kiss that had him losing balance. He doesn't wonder if he's forgetting something important, as he gets lost in Akechi.

"You're thinking too much again," Akechi mumbles as he pulls away.

Yes, things will be fine.


End file.
